^LOL! The sad thing is, I can see CBS giving Nixon more creative input, whereas ABC just ignores her. It really pissed me off when Kay said in her interview that they very rarely incorporate suggestions from Agnes. Um, who knows AMC and OLTL better than her?

This thread also got me thinking about how many great writers AMC and GL have shared in the past. It's weird that people like Agnes Nixon, Wisner Washman, Lorraine Broderick, and a few other staff writers in the past, have written for both shows.

Edited June 6, 200718 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

Do you really think she'll listen to a consultant?

If CBS told her to or else... Hell, yes. As things stand, I suspect that CBS is meddling and far more responsible for the mess that Y&R is in at the moment that some of us realize.

Wisner Washam and Kay Alden.

Or even better Agnes Nixon! lol

I like the idea of Agnes working with Kay Alden!! That would be such a powerhouse team.

What happened to Wisner Washam anyway? And what's Josh Griffith's reputation? Remind me about his stint with Malone? Who was in charge?

Someone should definitely hire Nixon to at least consult on some of the soaps. Since ABC and Frons generally seem to ignore her, CBS should make her a consulting offer she can't refuse! Let's face it, she's probably too old to ever head write a show again, but I can definitely see her as a story consultant at least.

I wonder what's become of Wisner Washman too. He hasn't written for a soap since GL in the early 90's, where he was apart of an Emmy winning team.

Victor Miller:

1984-1986 ABC-TV, Associate Head Writer for All My Children. When Sam was let go at OLTL, I was moved over to AMC where I worked under Wisner Washam and wrote some of my best stuff for the character played by Michael Knight, Tad Martin. Wisner taught me the real craft of daytime, but I was rankling and wanted to get out from under his thumb, so, when I got a call from Mary Ryan Munistieri at Guiding Light, I went. But, by the time I got there, P&G had let Mary go and suddenly I was—

From that quote, did Victor Miller actually start at One Life before AMC?

If CBS told her to or else... Hell, yes. As things stand, I suspect that CBS is meddling and far more responsible for the mess that Y&R is in at the moment that some of us realize.

THANK YOU!

Finally a sane comment from a practical thoughtful observation of the situation.

HW's do not wreck these shows, it's the "blue slips" they get during the day with the latest demands

and suggestions from the people who sign the checks.

(a) Don't write for __________, he's arrogant and didn't come to my daughter's sweet sixteen.

( My mom says you should break up Ida and Louie and my teen says it would be way cool if space

aliens came up from the sea and threw a beach party.

© We got a few letters regarding that "gay thing" you wanted to explore. TONE IT DOWN.

(d) Hey yeah--about that "gay thing" you were exploring--it's not gonna work. CAN IT.

(e) Do the blacks have to be on the show every frick'n day and does Lily have to be so black? She's

married to Danny, and it would be less offensive to some folks if she was lighter. Hell, lighten up as many

of 'em as you can while you're at it.

(f) You don't like suggestions?

Well there's 10 other writers waiting in line to sit in that HW chair!

Now when you produce a 3.5, even if it's just for two weeks...then you can have more control of the

show. Until then, we got focus groups and we ain't exactly dumb and dumber ourselves. Get to writing

some ratings and cease with all the boring SUBTEXT.

We need some youth on that show! The demographics are showing it's not enough kids watching

--we're not getting any money from the advertisers if you don't get the kids tun'n in! Why don't you

do some "Saved By the Bell" stuff?

(G) Uh, yeah we know ________ is a great actor who's won two Emmys, but he's not exactly driving the

young girls wild. RECAST. We need a muscle-bound hunk in that role.

(H) If ___________ doesn't high tail it to the plastic surgeon and get some of that age off her face soon--I want you

to backburner that cow. She's starting to look too much like a real woman. Hell, we can see a real woman anywhere.

We want FANTASIES when we tune into daytime. That's why these shows need more of us MALE execs in charge--we

really know what people want. More of these babes need to fall in love with their rapist and we need more EVENTS,

it's all about ratings and money, people....ratings and money.

Stop listening to these whining ass soap fans.

When they bring us some ratings and money--THEN they can be listened to.

"Sir, Agnes Nixon's on line one. She's got a super suggestion about Pine Valley."

Agnes Who?

Edited June 7, 200718 yr by IMissDrusilla

THANK YOU!

Finally a sane comment from a practical thoughtful observation of the situation.

HW's do not wreck these shows, it's the "blue slips" they get during the day with the latest demands

and suggestions from the people who sign the checks.

At least you can be honest with yourself and other people and say – no, I don't wanna write your cr*ppy stories, I want something of mine, and leave if you're not allowed to do that. It's called integrity. And for the classiest soap (at least once it was) I want a person who has that character trait.

This is such a lousy excuse, I can't believe, IMissDrusilla, you mentioned this!

Edited June 7, 200718 yr by Sylph

From that quote, did Victor Miller actually start at One Life before AMC?

1982-1984 ABC-TV, Associate Head Writer for One Life To Live. Jackie Smith, Head of Daytime Programming for ABC-TV, The Queen of Daytime (as she liked to be known---in direct opposition to Agnes Nixon who really was The Queen of Daytime) was looking for new blood in her stable of daytime writers. Thanks to Richard Blumenthal, an attorney with Mike Lynne (Blumenthal & Lynne represented Sean), I had lunch with Ms. Smith. I drank way too much wine in the ABC executive dining room, but Jackie and her sidekick, Eleanor Timberman, and I laughed and had a great time. The next thing I knew I was working under Head Writer Sam Hall at OLTL.

1984: Victor is represented by Rick Hashagen, the agent with whom he will stay until 2002. The Miller family moves from Stratford, Connecticut to Milford, Connecticut.

At least you can be honest with yourself and other people and say – no, I don't wanna write your cr*ppy stories, I want something of mine, and leave if you're not allowed to do that. It's called integrity. And for the classiest soap (at least once it was) I want a person who has that character trait.

This is such a lousy excuse, I can't believe, IMissDrusilla, you mentioned this!

Excuse me Sylph...but there are many personnel (myself included) who have done just what you just suggested.

That's why you don't see, for instance--Pam Long or Nancy Curlee---working anywhere.

It's not that they don't want to. Pam Long's hand has been itching for seven years! But she refuses to work

within the SYSTEM.

That's also why Ria Rowell left "Y&R".

That is why Harding Lemay refused countless offers to "HW".

But then again, the people I just mentioned can AFFORD to say no.

The problem is that these writers have HUGE MORTGAGES, they have children to put through college,

they have ELDERLY PARENTS who need very expensive medical care, they've got debt on top of debt.

They have a ton of reasons why they MUST bring in the big bucks. And that's called survival.

A writer is a JOB. And writers have the right to do as their bosses tell them and get paid and just like

any other employee.

I wouldn't do it. But then...I don't have to.

Excuse me Sylph...but there are many personnel (myself included) who have done just what you just suggested.

Yes, and I acknowledge that. I'm glad that you're, if you say so, one of those people.

But then again, the people I just mentioned can AFFORD to say no.

The problem is that these writers have HUGE MORTGAGES, they have children to put through college, they have ELDERLY PARENTS who need very expensive medical care, they've got debt on top of debt.

They have a ton of reasons why they MUST bring in the big bucks. And that's called survival.

I understand this, too. But Lynn Marie Antoinette is certainly not one of those people. Besides, she's probably loaded, since she worked all those years as EP or HW. Money can be spent easily, I know that, too, but she's secured her wealth, I'm not going to worry about that.

A writer is a JOB. And writers have the right to do as their bosses tell them and get paid and just like any other employee.

I wouldn't do it. But then...I don't have to.

Yes, I know. But then again, if you're detemined, creative and know your stuff, you'll easily make it anywhere. I believe that. It might be extremely difficult at times, but one should never quit.

Idealism forever! 

Edited June 7, 200718 yr by Sylph

Sylph...I think I love you, darling.

And while you're at it...I'll have a bottle of that.

Headwriters are employees of the network. Unless they are Bill Bell or Brad Bell, they don't have autonomy over the shows that they write. I remember Brad Bell in an interview discussing the conflict that he encountered when discussing future stories with the network. His wider point was that the network executives had no understanding of how soap worked and often their dictates conflicted with the show's direction. Of course, LML is responsible for how poorly so many storylines are being executed, but the focus on specific characters may be network dictated and her fate will be decided by the demos. It is easy to talk about quitting a job or standing up for a principle when it isn't your livelihood at stake. I bet Alden thought that she was standing on principle with her writing when she was shown the door.

Edited June 7, 200718 yr by Ann_SS